During a recent visit to one of my favorite local groceries, I happened upon a package of beautiful, creamy-colored ruffled ovals. 

I thought they were sea sponges at first, but on closer inspection, found that they were dried Snow Fungus- ’Tremella fuciformis.’

I picked up a couple packages out of curiosity. When I got them home, I rehydrated them, and to my surprise, they “bloomed” into the most beautifully strange pearly white gelatinous orbs. Because I stick flowers into most everything, I decided to explore this idea.

Dehydrated

Dry, straight from the package. Lam Sheng Kee brand below, Sunflower brand above

Rehydrated

Spongy, bloomed fungus after a soak. Lam Sheng Kee brand below, Sunflower brand above

Snow Fungus As A Stabilizing Medium for Floral Design

I had daffodils in the studio, so in they went. To my delight, I found the texture of the fungus to be incredible- it yielded to the stems, allowing them in easily, but the gelatinous quality of the fungus kept them reliably in place. 

I decided to test the daffodils to see if the fungus would serve as a hydrating medium in addition to a stabilizing one. I placed the hydrated fungus in a low dish, and added additional water. Using two bunches of daffodils, I added half into the fungus, and the other half into a vase of water.

The daffodil test results were great - the snow fungus bunch held as long as the control group in water. But further testing with a variety of other flowers produced unfortunate results. Ranunculus and lisianthus lasted 5 and 3 days respectively, but snapdragons, matthiola, scabiosa, astrantia, and hellebores only lasted 1-2 days. I observed that the fungus continues to take in water over time, wicking water away from the flowers.

A Functional and Compostable Hydration Solution

Now I knew that I needed to find a way to use the fungus to hold onto the stems, while creating a reliable reservoir of water for the flowers to drink at the same time. I decided that I needed to create a “perch” of sorts to lift the fungus up and away from the bottom of the vessel. This way, I could use it as a decorative and stabilizing element, but the flowers would still get the water they need. Using two stems of flexible curly willow, I made a very simple armature. I tucked this “perch” inside a vase of water, and the fungus perched on top.

I tested several vessels, my favorite being the “Orion” compote from Accent Decor. This vessel has a hollow cylindrical “foot” that widens into a generous bowl. The willow perch signs inside, preventing the fungus from collapsing down into the foot of the vase. When flowers are added to the fungus up top, they penetrate the body of the fungus, passing all the way through, then through the open weave of the armature- into the reservoir of water below.

The final result is a stable, travel-ready, and completely compostable design system that creates sturdy arrangements with plenty of fresh water to drink. When the arrangement has done its job, the entire vase can be emptied into the compost, and the vase washed and reused.

To learn how to prepare and use snow fungus, including my favorite brand and where to buy, and how to make a willow perch, please visit my IGTV page [link].

Find more floral design tutorials [link] on my blog.

Ready to Go Further?

For more on the hydration chamber, and how to make your own floral wearables, check out my book “The Art of Wearable Flowers [link],” and my extensive library of self-paced online classes [link].

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